Lukashenko Announces Plans for a Third Unit at Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant

At the opening of a new municipal infectious disease hospital in Minsk, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the country is designing a third unit for the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant (BelNPP) and intends to expand its electricity-generating capacity, BelTA reports.

Lukashenko noted that Poland and other European countries are now planning to develop nuclear energy and build new power plants. Just a few years ago, he said, the rhetoric was the opposite: governments spoke of halting new nuclear construction, while some countries shut down operating plants.

“What if we had listened to all those critics and not built BelNPP? Look around: without electricity, there is nothing. With electricity, you can do anything. Even cars run on electric power today. We have started making electric vehicles too—passenger cars for the public, trucks and more. Our trains run on electric rail lines. There is no doing without electricity.

“That is why I have decided to build another unit at the nuclear power plant. This is for our children and grandchildren, for young people. By the time we build the third unit, you will have grown up and will be using it,” the president said.